Fear of making a mistake tops the list, and was cited by 30% of employees

Fear of getting fired is another. In fact fear of getting fired or appearing less dedicated or vital if they dare to take a vacation is rampant in the slow economy. The survey shows employees left an average of 11 vacation days—70%--of their vacations--untaken in 2011.

Fear of dealing with difficult customers or clients

Fear of conflict with a manager

Fear of speaking in front of a group

Fear of having disagreements with co-workers

Only 3% of employees consider themselves “fearless.” Is it any wonder their innovation is gone?

The greatest barrier to innovation is fear. Only 3% of employees consider themselves "fearless."

Fear is one of the greatest sources of stress. The inventive part of our mind is difficult to nurture, and we can only access it when we are relaxed. An employee that feels supported and appreciated is more willing to devote their full energy, creativity and passion to the company and its goals, and will naturally innovate in every area within their influence. Employees who are afraid of something or someone in the organization will naturally close up to protect themselves, and can no longer perform at their full capacity.

Leaders must truly trust employees. They must expect that employees will behave like adults and therefore treat them like fully creative and capable people. They need to trust employees to care about each other and about their customers. Hauck points out that genuine trust is beyond empowerment – that when leadership “gives power,” inherent in the equation is the concept that they are giving employees something they also have the power to take back. A leader who truly trusts their people knows that employees already have the power they need within them, and trusts them to use it honorably and well.

We must rely more on principles and less on policy. Let’s forget the overbearing dependence on polices to govern our steps, and learn to agree on guiding principles instead. Consider the statement “every action is consistent with specific values behaviors.” For us, the values principles are our 7 Non Negotiables of Winning (which are also the focus of my upcoming book). They are Respect, Belief, Trust, Loyalty, Courage, Gratitude and Commitment. By following our principles instead of our policies, employees can make quick decisions that improve their own performance without manager oversight or performance appraisals. They can adapt to change on the fly. They can create their own solutions rather than worrying about the policies and procedures involved. They are no longer fearful about the possibility they will make a mistake.

Finally, and most importantly, employees must experiment before they create. A fearful employee can never experiment. In an environment of trust, however, individuals and teams learn to thrive on the opportunity to try. They value and even treasure the resulting chances to make a mistake. Through their mistakes they create the genesis for miraculous outcomes.

Open communication or an “open-door” policy is critical to putting these three steps into effect. One of the first things an organization loses in a fearful environment is vital and open feedback and communication at every level.

Fear is a pervasive trend in organizations today

In a fearful environment, front-line employees are unwilling to share because they are afraid somebody will “kill the messenger,” and communication becomes shallow or disappears. Without a healthy feedback loop, the organization will no longer know where to focus their problem-solving efforts and will lose the innovative energy they gain.

We must move away from work environments that are based on command and control. We can eliminate fear when we face it head on and create an open dialogue to separate the issue at hand from the fear. "Attack the problem, not the individual," is our Fishbowl motto. Only then can innovation truly occur. Can you take this challenge? The change will astound you. I look forward to hearing about your results.

Additional reporting for this article was provided by Fishbowl President Mary Michelle Scott and VP Training and Support John Erickson.